


Whatever We Were Before

by zombolouge



Series: Zom's Tumblr Prompts [1]
Category: Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: BUT HEY LOOK ROSES, F/M, Humor, M/M, Mysterious roses, One Shot, Set in the red headed rogues universe, Tumblr Prompt, kind of
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-03
Updated: 2015-10-03
Packaged: 2018-04-24 12:27:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,320
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4919554
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zombolouge/pseuds/zombolouge
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tumblr Prompt: Someone left a single rose at the bedside of each member of the inner circle last night, each rose it's own color or shade depending on who was given it. No one knows who it was. Reactions?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Whatever We Were Before

**Author's Note:**

> Timeframe: This theoretically takes place just after the end of Facing Down the Void, so not all of the original members of the inner circle are present. Hopefully you still enjoy the prompt!! Oh, and it’s spoiler free because I kept out any details relevant to the main story. :D

Autumn laid the flower on the table in front of her, studying it as though she had never seen a rose before. Her head titled to the side, sending messy curls splaying out at odd angles, and she wrinkled her nose at the faint scent emanating from the delicate petals. It was a long stemmed, dusky red rose that had been placed beside her bed to greet her when she awoke this morning.

She had naturally assumed that it had been left by Cullen, although she couldn’t say where he would have gotten it between snoring against her chest and rising before dawn to march down to the office. Even more of a mystery was _why_ he would have made such a gesture. Cullen was a sweet man, and devoted to her more deeply than she deserved, but he was not prone to fits of romantic gestures, preferring to express himself more directly than something so theatrical as a rose left by her bed.

She looked up sharply as the doors to the great hall creaked open and Cassandra slipped through the gap, letting the morning chill swirl into the room momentarily before she managed to seal away the wind. When she turned to walk towards the breakfast table Autumn could see a starry look on her face, accompanied by a slight blush across her impossibly perfect cheekbones. She walked with a bounce in her step, and as she drew closer Autumn could hear her humming a soft hymn under her breath.

“You’re in a mood this morning.” Autumn commented, arching a brow at the Seeker as she watched her blush deepen.

“It is nothing.” Cassandra replied hastily. Then, as she sat, she seemed to think better of the dismissal, looking around the hall quickly to ascertain their privacy. Once she was sure they were alone she reached into the breast pocket of her armor and pulled out a single, long stemmed rose whose petals were a sweet lavender color, like the mountainsides painted in the murky hues of dusk. She held it to her nose, inhaling deeply before she set it on the table, beaming at Autumn. “I found this beside my bed this morning.” She paused, and her smile became sardonic before she continued. “Varric is much sweeter than I would have imagined.”

Autumn cleared her throat and pushed her own rose forward so Cassandra would take notice. “I hope not, or I think Cullen might have to have a stern talk with him.”

Cassandra’s brows rose towards her immaculately trimmed hairline. “You received one as well? Then who sent them?”

Autumn shrugged. “I had assumed it was Cullen. I’m not sure which idea worries me more, a stranger coming in my room to leave me a rose, or _Cullen_ wandering around Skyhold giving _everyone_ roses.”

“ _Both_ options are rather unappealing, in my opinion.” Cassandra snorted a laugh through her nose and frowned at the petals in front of her.

Autumn opened her mouth to speak, but promptly snapped it back shut as the doors to the hall burst open again, this time swinging wide as Dorian sauntered in. He held his head high as he strode towards them, and both women couldn’t help but notice the rose pinned to the chest of his complex robes, royal purple petals standing out against the shine of the silver silk.

“Good morning ladies!” he crowed as he took his place at the table. “Did you see what Bull has left me?” he gestured towards the rose, and Autumn and Cassandra, as one, held up their own flowers, waiving them in his face. Autumn giggled as his look of pride crumbled, seeing realization crest within him, just as it had for Cassandra. “Well, if Bull is giving _everyone_ roses I feel terribly slighted.”

“Maker, getting a rose from Bull is worse than Cullen.” Cassandra mumbled.

Dorian raised a hand and smoothed it over his mustache. “Hm, now that you mention it, I _would_ prefer a rose from Cullen.”

Autumn picked up a biscuit from the tray in front of her and lobbed it at the mage, who ducked neatly as he snickered at her. The ill-fated lump of dough sailed over his shining head, traveling an impressive distance before Sera snatched it out of the air, walking into the great hall from the direction of the long-empty solar. She bit into the morsel, sending crumbs tumbling down the front of her top as she stomped up to them. When she arrived at the table she slammed a rose down, the petals a shade of pink that could only be described as violently bright.

“Fnnf fnnn un duff.” She said, frowning when she realized the biscuit had swallowed her words. She hastily cleared her throat and dusted the remaining crumbs from her lips with the back of her hand. “That bard is dead.”

“Maryden? Whatever for?” Autumn asked her as Sera proceeded to fidget in her seat.

“Creepy songs, _creepy_ flowers. It’s too much, innit?” Sera reached across the table and dragged an entire plate of pastries towards herself, claiming them as her own.

“So,” Cassandra began, rolling her eyes at the elf. “Someone has thought to give roses to myself, the Inquisitor, _Dorian_ , and _Sera_? Now I’m really lost as to who our secret admirer could be.”

Sera glared at the other roses now that they had been brought to her attention. “Great, _other_ creepy people. You lot attract too much weird, yeah?”

Autumn sighed. “Right, _we're_ the weird ones.” She ducked the pastry tossed her way and watched as it turned into a cloud of crumbs and cinnamon on the wall behind her.

“You know, Cassandra, you shouldn’t say that like you’re so surprised. I get roses all the time from secret admirers.” Dorian huffed. The women all raised their eyebrows at him in response, sharing a glance of disbelief, and he sighed and crossed his arms over his chest. “Very well, it _is_ out of the ordinary, but for the record I _should_ receive roses more often. I just don’t get the recognition I deserve.”

Cassandra shrieked suddenly, interrupting the exchange when Cole seemed to materialize out of nowhere next to her, sitting down at the table and looking at them expectantly.

“You have them too. Mine is yellow.” He said, pointing at his hat, where he had tucked the sun yellow rose, stem and all, into the brim.

“Good morning Cole.” Dorian said evenly, nodding towards the gangly boy. Cole smiled brightly as Cassandra scowled, piqued that he had managed to catch her off guard…again.

Autumn placed her elbows on the table, leaning her chin into her hands as she studied the yellow rose. “Cole, do you know where the flower came from?”

He shook his head, making the hat and stem flop comically from side to side. “It was there when I finished sleeping. It doesn’t have memories of where it came from.”

“That was probably too much to hope for.” Dorian said flatly.

Autumn sighed, shaking her head. “You never know if you don’t ask.”

When the doors to the hall opened again, Autumn could see the sun turning the sky a soft grey, silhouetting Bull, Cullen, and Varric as they wandered in with puzzled looks on their faces, already comparing their own flowers. Cullen carried a rose the color of a ruby struck by firelight, Varric had one the color of an orange tinted sunset, and Bull twirled one that was as blue as the ripples of the ocean waves. As they reached the table they could all see the questions in their eyes, and before they could open their mouths to speak everyone at the table held up their own flowers, putting them on display in silent confusion.

“Well, shit. I guess it wasn’t some weird anniversary thing then.” Varric scratched at the stubble along his jaw, taking a seat and examining Cassandra’s rose.

“What anniversary could it be?” Cassandra asked him, frowning. “Have you really not kept track?”

“I don’t know, it was just a guess.” He grinned at her and she rolled her eyes, although her disappointment quickly dissolved into a warm blush the longer she gazed at him.

Cullen tossed his rose haphazardly onto the tabletop, sending it rolling under the plate of pastries Sera was currently devouring. “So, if they weren’t from you, then who –”

“That’s what _we_ wanted to know.” Dorian interrupted.

“I wonder what the colors mean.” Bull mused, comparing his own rose to his lover’s, the purple and blue actually matching quite well when held together.

“They certainly weren’t designed to be _fashionable_  if _that_ thing is any indication.” Vivienne’s voice startled them all as she walked into the hall through the side door, striding with purpose and pointing at Sera’s blinding rose. Sera stuck her tongue out at her in response, and she rolled her eyes theatrically, although those of them paying attention did notice the slight upward tilt to her lips. “I see I was not the only one who awoke to such a mysterious surprise.” she held up the rose in her own hand, ice blue petals tipped with white, like the midmorning sky swirling with snow.

“Ten gold says Ruffles walks out with her own pretty set of petals.” Varric drawled, leaning back in his chair and looking towards the door to the ambassador’s room.

“Fifteen gold says she not only has one, she puts it in her hair.” Bull added.

The duo shook on it, and their financially fueled curiosity was sated moments later as Josephine swept into the hall, resplendent in a lovely blouse with her hair coiled into an intricate bun. Varric swore softly as they all spied the pale pink rose woven into the side of the arrangement, like a quartz jewel shining against the dark silk of her hair. She smiled warmly at all of them, faltering only slightly when they, again, held up their own flowers to present them to the newly awoken Antivan.

“I see someone has been very thoughtful this morning.” She said, taking her seat and shuffling bowls out of the way to make room for the stack of papers she intended to peruse over her breakfast.

“So, does everyone in Skyhold have one of these, or are we just special?” Bull asked as he took the handful of coin from Varric’s hand.

“I haven’t seen any of the troops marching around with flowers in their armor.” Cullen recollected, smirking at Autumn while she rolled her eyes.

“ _That_ would be something to see.” She told him, wondering if an army marching down on their enemies while bedecked in floral arrangements would be as bewildering as it was amusing. Perhaps they could shock or dazzle their foes into submission next time, she mused.

“I’m more concerned about how they got past all our security and got close enough to leave them _by our beds_. Madame de Fer, you must not run a terribly tight ship if interlopers can just roam about all night long, unhindered.” Dorian sniffed and affected an air of disdain, but he couldn’t quite hide his smile as Vivienne glared back at him.

“I hardly think you would be threatened by roses, my dear. You have a weaker constitution than I expected, which is certainly impressive considering my already low opinion of it.” Vivienne flashed him a vivid smile and Dorian smirked in return.

“Piss off mage, if they got past anyone it was Cullywully’s guards.” Sera added.

“If they got passed anyone,” Cullen spoke firmly, “It was because they were either unseen, which is highly unlikely, or they were trusted.”

Vivienne gazed at her flower thoughtfully. “Someone the guards were already familiar with. That _would_ explain it. Perhaps a servant?”

Bull shook his head. “But _why?_  I don’t’ remember doing anything particularly…flower worthy lately.”

Cullen rubbed the back of his neck. “Maybe they were for –”

The entire group fell silent as soon as they heard the noise, and every head slowly turned to the source of the sound. Standing behind them was a strange man that seemed both familiar and unknown, wearing a red tunic over lime green pants. His lips were puckered in a shriveled “o”, and he was creeping towards them making a sound that could only be described as a poor attempt to imitate wind.

His eyes were wide as he regarded them all. “You’ve been solving puzzles, answering questions history forgot to ask. Whatever you were before, you are now the rulers of the _Quizquisition_. Masters of lore and knowledge.” His voice was low and pitched to carry dramatically through the hall, and Autumn felt her jaw drop open as he walked around them all, deigning to ruffle Cullen’s hair as he passed. “Take these tokens as your reward, a reminder of all that you’ve gained. _May the Quizquisition live one!_ ” he shouted the last part of his speech, and then resumed making the incredibly strange whooshing sounds with his mouth as he walked out the side door towards the stairwell to the library.

For a moment everyone at the table was silent, staring at the spot where the man had been, listening to the airy noises he continued to make echo through the still quiet halls of the keep. Every one of them had a stunned look of confusion on their faces, completely baffled as to what they had just witnessed. Finally, they turned to one another, blinking in shock.

“We should…probably arrest that guy.” Varric said finally, pointing in the man’s general direction with a bemused wave of his hand.

“Oh Maker, yes.” Cullen agreed quickly, and in the blink of an eye they had all risen from the table, breakfast and roses discarded, to chase after the completely insane man who had somehow gotten loose in their home.

 _Whatever we were before_ , Autumn thought, _we are now definitely arresting that creep._


End file.
